The present invention relates to a housing for starter motors. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a safe and stable housing for hand-held starter motors of the type used for starting model airplanes and the like.
For many years the only way of starting a model airplane engine was to flick the propeller of the airplane a number of times with the fingers until the motor started. This procedure was rather dangerous not only because of the possibility of cuts, scratches and splinters when flicking the propeller with the fingers, but also due to the possibility of more severe damage to the fingers if not removed quickly enough from the path of the propeller when the motor finally started.
Eventually, starter motors were developed whereby the fingers were replaced with a motor driven shaft and rotating cup to provide the torque to the airplane engine. Examples of such starter motors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,457,750 and 2,625,143.
In order to use such starter motors, the model airplanes are provided with conical spinners or nose caps which engage the propeller of the airplane. By placing the cup of the starter motor in frictional engagement with the spinner and rotating the cup by means of the motor shaft, torque is provided to the spinner and in turn the propeller in order to start the airplane engine. The starter motor is usually run by hooking it up to a standard 12 volt storage battery such as those commonly used in automobiles.
Recently, with the tremendous increase in model airplane enthusiasts, there has been a great increase in the use of starter motors, and particularly hand-held starter motors. Generally, these hand-held starter motors comprise simply a small diameter cylindrical motor casing with a frictional cup attached to the motor shaft extending from the casing. The use of these hand-held motors has resulted in a number of accidents and injuries to the hands during the procedure of starting model airplane engines. Thus, due to the vibration of the starter motor, the fingers of the hand holding the motor tend to slip forward toward the area where the motor shaft and frictional cup engage the spinner and propeller of the airplane. Hence, there is a great possibility for serious injury to the fingers either from the motor shaft or the propeller or both. Moreover, due to the cylindrical body of the starter motor casing, the starter motor has a tendency to roll away when placed on the ground after starting the airplane engine. This can result in further injury to the feet of persons standing nearby.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a safe starter motor which is simple and inexpensive in construction and would substantially reduce the possibility of injury from such starter motors during the starting of model airplane engines and the like.